All I got to lose

Kyle tilts his head back to finish off the can of pop, then chucks it halfway across the room to a garbage can, making a basket. "Yes!" He raises his arms in victory. "Two points!"

Spinning back around to Alice, he grins. "Yes. Speakers. Come here and I'll show you what I need."

Jen watches Kyle and Alice interact, lifting an eyebrow. Interesting. "Hey, Phil?"

"Yeah?"

Jen keeps her voice down. "How long has Kyle known Alice?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"Just curious. They act like they've been friends for years, but I've never seen her before, have you?"

"Nope."

Jen shrugs. Kyle had been acting strangely lately anyway - any more oddness shouldn't be surprising.


Axel works while listening to Jess. He shakes his head slowly. "Kyle's pulling out." He sighs and stands up straight, finished with the duct tape. He heads back to the sound table and motions for Jess to follow him, offering her a chair next to him. "Rocky asked him to sing for Cryptic since Logan is off for a while at least. He's singing tomorrow night for us, but otherwise, this is it. Not sure why, but... this is his last JetStream night. He's heading out with some group from a youth organization, so neither band is on his calendar anymore."

Axel fools with some sound settings. "I think that's why Jen let me help her with this tonight - she wanted to spend more time with her brother."


The night progresses with minimal stress. Though JetStream was tense about Kyle's position, they kept their act together and pleased the audience as always. Despite the absence of Jason, the crowd was on their feet and clapping as soon as the show started.

Up front, Kyle took on the position he had other times Jason had been gone, but this time was different... this time he was being himself, and the sound was better than ever.

Standing behind his keyboard, Kyle sings, letting his eyes roam the audience, often landing on Alice to throw her a smile. Staying in focus tonight was extremely difficult. Any instant of remembering this was his last night with JetStream would make him miss a beat. He had to shove all those thoughts and emotions aside, and he made Alice be his one point to stay with it.

His voice rings out crisp and true, for the first time with JetStream, giving his all. Phil and Mike back him up well, and Kyle skillfullly slipped into his quirky role between songs to get people laughing. Normally it was natural. Tonight it had to be deliberate, because he didn't feel much like laughing.

The night runs on, and finally, the notes of the last song are dying away. But instead of saying goodnight, Phil stops the show, not letting Mike or Kyle leave the stage. "Well y'all..." He uses his microphone to adress the audience. "Most of you probably don't know that this was Kyle's last night with JetStream."

Groans of disappointment come as the response. Kyle steps back from his keyboard, forcing half a smile, not sure what his brother was doing.

Phil nods. "We all come to points in our lives where we move up and move on. And I guess Kyle's at one of those points."

Jen sits next to Jess beside the sound table, a tear running down her cheek. She was going to miss her brother so much, and she didn't even understand why he was doing this.

Phil clears his throat. "Jason will be around as always, but we're going to miss our keyboard player..." He nods. "And our brother." Moving forward, he reaches out to shake Kyle's hand. "We love you, Kyle."

The audience starts to clap, proving there were fans there who had been listening to JetStream for years, having fallen in love with all the band members.

Kyle swallows hard, fighting his emotions. He knew Phil was sincere, and he appreciated it.

Phil turns back to the crowd and grins. "How about we ask him to do us one more song, eh?" The cheers make him laugh. "What do you say, Kyle?"

Kyle hadn't planned on this. He looks around to Mike, then Jen and Axel, then finds Alice again. How could he refuse? Managing a smile, he returns to his keyboard. Glancing up, his eyes scan the room. He didn't know which song to choose.

Phil comes up behind him and speaks quietly in his ear, not letting the audience hear. "You said you'd written a new one."

"Sure," Kyle whispers, "But you and Mike don't know it."

"So?" Phil was proud of his brother, and proved it. Backing away, he points to Kyle and claps, encouraging the audience to do the same. "Kyle Mitts, folks." He retreats from the spotlight, unstrapping his bass, and signalling to Mike that they wouldn't have to back up Kyle for this one.

Kyle hesitates, but finally pulls himself together enough to start playing his keyboard. Letting the music build for several measures, the room grows quiet, all listening, all watching.

Closing his eyes, Kyle lets his fingers find their way across the strong melody that produced invigorating emotions.

All I got to lose is the pain inside,
All I got to lose is the fear I hide.
All I got to lose is the darkness killing me.

All I got to lose is one chance tonight,
All I got to lose is the inner fight.
All I got to lose is the war defeating me.

So why... don't I run?
Why don't I try to make a difference?
Why... don't I run? Don't I run?

All I got to gain is a better way.
All I got to gain is to sail away.
All I got to gain is a life beyond my reach.

All I got to gain is a clearer view.
All I got to gain is the scattered few.
All I got to gain is a heart void of fear.

So why... don't I run?
Why don't I try to make a difference?
Why... don't I run? Don't I run?

All I got to lose is a past behind me.
All I got to gain is a path in front of me.
All I got to lose is the darkness killing me.

All I got to gain is a brightened future.
All I got to lose is a pain without a cure.
All I got to gain is a life beyond my reach.

So why... don't I run?
Why don't I try to make a difference?
Why... don't I run? Don't I run?

The final notes die away, and the room is deathly quiet. Until someone claps. Another stands. And soon everyone is cheering their farewell. Kyle smiles and waves to them, making eye contact with Jen so he can wink at her, and Alice too so he can nod his thanks for her being there too.

Making his way offstage, the lights come back on, and as quickly as the night had begun, it was over. The noise of the crowd leaving filled the room. The band started to pack up almost immediately, knowing that it was getting late.

Axel turns in his seat to look at Jen. "Well... that's that, then. I'm gonna stick around to pack up and will probably go out for pizza. You're... more than welcome to come." He gives her a little smile, proving that it was a sincere invitation.

Kyle doesn't say much to the others, and while packing up, he quietly slips out into the hall where it was empty. Leaning back against the wall, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. A lot of things were running through his mind... a lot of things.


Ryder can't help his laugh at Katie. "Ya know... for some reason, I think I'd rather wrestle a croc than you. I can beat a croc - I'm not so sure I could beat you."

Shaking his head, he makes usure the coast is still clear, then motions for her to follow him again. "Come on. We need to get Carson and Jason out of here before more guys come. Not all of them will be that stupid."